NAPLES, Fla., Feb 13, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE via COMTEX) --
a la mode, the creator of the market-leading TOTAL family of real estate appraisal products, announced today their new TOTAL Store, and the associated integration API, will be available in the second quarter of 2013. The TOTAL product line is used by more appraisers than all competing products combined, which is why third-party vendor interest in the Store has been very strong.

Using the Store interface, any appraiser can securely select from a growing list of third-party and in-house products designed to extend the feature set of the core TOTAL appraisal programs. Examples include additional choices of floorplan sketching products, mobile data entry and onsite inspection tools, flood and street mapping systems, accounting and business management products, construction cost data services, and comps data pipelines drawing from both MLSs and public records.

The Store API allows those third-party vendors to seamlessly integrate into the underlying TOTAL product architecture for a superior customer experience, all while avoiding the delays of traditional integration deal negotiations. Relationships are managed using the now ubiquitous "app store" paradigm, with simple click-through agreements and standardized terms, after which multiple task-centric APIs are documented for the vendor. Any vendor offering any product of interest to the appraisal community is able to integrate in a matter of days.

"Software and data vendors have always wanted to integrate tightly with the TOTAL platform," said John Farley, President of a la mode's Appraisal Division, "and our new TOTAL Store online click-through agreement and standard API enable them to do precisely that while capturing the attention of a unique and valuable sales channel. Appraisers will be able to choose any tool they prefer to get their job done, even if that tool is a direct competitor to one of our own solutions. This essentially turns TOTAL into an open platform, where the market can decide which tools to layer on top of it, as rapidly as they choose."
Over 30 different providers are already in various stages of integrating their products and services with the TOTAL Store. Software vendors such as Apex and PhoenixMobile will participate, as well as data providers such as LPS and RentRange. Cost services including Marshall & Swift, Bluebook International, and Craftsman are likewise integrating via the Store's APIs.

The Store will be expanded in the future to support appraiser-created tools as well, such as custom integrated spreadsheets, MLS data mappings, research filters, and more. With tens of thousands of often technically-minded appraisers building a variety of tools for their own use already, the Store will give them a way to rapidly and profitably share those utilities with a national audience of peers.

About a la mode
Celebrating 27 years as a mission-critical workflow technology leader in the real estate and mortgage industries, a la mode's products are used by hundreds of thousands of appraisers, salespeople, inspectors, and lending professionals to power more than 50% of all residential real estate transactions in the US each year. a la mode's flagship product for the lending industry is its Mercury Network, the nation's premiere valuation Vendor Management Platform with over 20,000 transactions a day. In the appraisal sector, its TOTAL desktop software line is dominant, used by more appraisers than all other brands combined. And in the agent market, a la mode's Broker Reciprocity and Analytics products enjoy top-tier direct access to MLS listings and sales data via integration contracts with local boards serving more than 500,000 licensed salespeople nationwide.

a la mode is headquartered in Naples, FL, with additional offices and approximately 200 employees located in Oklahoma City, Salt Lake City, and Washington, DC. For more information about the company, visit www.alamode.com.

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